Event Types

Yorkshire Off Road Club Event Descriptions

It should be remembered that ALL our events are designated "none damaging" unless otherwise stated.
The term "none damaging" means that the organisers make every effort to
ensure that the event is suitable for the vehicles entered in that
event PROVIDING that those taking part drive the course in the expected
manner. There is no guarantee that a vehicle will not sustain damage to
the bodywork or mechanical parts although the aim is that this should
not happen. It is likely that any damage to your vehicle during an off
road event will not be covered by your insurance company and you should
bear this in mind before taking part. Fun though it is, this is
motorsport and MOTORSPORT CAN BE DANGEROUS !

Damage
to vehicles taking part in our events is rare but it would be
irresponsible of us, as a club, to suggest that this is a cast iron
guarantee.

Driver Training Days

These
are none competitive events designed to give members and prospective
members an introduction to organised off road driving and off road
motor sport. One to one tuition in your own vehicle is available on the
day with our more experienced members taking you through the basic
skills and techniques required to tackle hill climbs (and how to fail
them), descents, side slopes and soft ground. There is no additional
fee for training.

As
an added attraction, at some events, we will also include optional
trials sections that you can try your hand at and once again training,
hints and techniques are freely available from our clubs experienced
trials drivers.

These
events are run under an MSA Promotional Permit which allows for the
carrying of passengers in the rear of the vehicle and the carrying of
children under the age of 14 however there are some safety restrictions
that have to be applied although most vehicles capable of carrying
passengers on the road will already comply with these rules.

This
is the traditional off road, competitive event, run under an MSA Off
Road Trial permit . All our trials are aimed at road going vehicles and
we expect vehicles to be driven to the event and driven home again
afterwards, preferably in the same condition as they arrived although
perhaps not as clean ! In some clubs this is known as an "RTV Trial"
although this, as a term, only relates to the eligibility of the
vehicles and has no bearing on the possible severity of the trial.

A
trial consists of a series of small courses or "sections". Each section
is divided into a series of sub-sections marked by pairs of canes know
as "gates". The gates are numbered (usually 12 of them) and as you
progress along the section you pass through each gate in turn. In the
event that you cease forward motion or touch one of the gates, you will
be awarded a penalty point for each gate you failed to pass through
cleanly. A good trials driver is able to read the terrain in advance,
choose a line that will give him/her the best chance of completing the
section and remain in complete control of the vehicle at all times. An
element of luck helps too !

At
some of our trials, vehicles with a wheelbase over 100 inches are
allowed 1 "shunt" per section to help level the playing field on tight
twisty courses wher a longer vehicle may find it difficult (or
impossible) to navigate the section. This is at the discretion of the
clerk of course and can apply to all sections, specific sections or may
even be limited to certain gates in a section. You will be told at the
driver briefing which of these, if any, apply. A "shunt" allows the
driver, prior to ceasing forward motion to stop and reverse within the
boundaries of the section before continuing forwards. Normally this is
used when the vehicle has failed to make a tight turn and requires a
"shunt" to avoid hitting a gate. from time to time a shunt may also be
used to give a better line through a difficult piece of terrain.

Off
road trials are the cheapest and easiest form of competitive motor
sport to get involved with. if at any point in a section you feel that
the terrain may be damaging or is beyond you or your vehicles
capability simply stop. No one will think any the worse of you for
doing so, in fact knowing your own limits is a quality to be admired.
There is always the next section to try and you ARE doing this for fun
- we do not encourage "machismo" as a trait in our competitive members.

Because
we set our trials, like all our competitions, to try and suit those
taking part, our pre-booking system allows the clerk of course to judge
the experience level of those entered and the vehicle types that will
be taking part. Using this information the sections can then be set
out appropriately. Sections can also be altered on the day should someone
decide to turn up in a 130 crewcab when all the pre-booked entries were
90's although we prefer not to do it that way round !

Challenge
Events

The
challenge event format seems to be rapidly growing in the UK at the
moment and several of our members have been taking part in these events
both in the UK and internationally. We have developed our own brand
of these challenge events to allow normal road going vehicles to compete
on level terms without the expense of fitting winches, diff locks etc...

We
have now been running variations of these events since the club was
first formed and they have become a regular part of the club's calendar.
See the events page for details of the next challenge event.

Other Events

As
an MSA recognised off road club we have a number of different competitive
events that we can run as and when members feel they would like to take
part. If ANY member of the club wants to try to run an off road event
of any kind he/she is welcome to do so following approval by the clubs'
committee. This approval will normally be granted providing that the
member has arranged for the use of land, got support from enough members
to cover the cost of the event and that the event can be covered by
an MSA permit. The committee will give whatever support it can to help
during both the initial planning stages and in the running of the event
following approval. This gives a huge scope for variations of off road
driving for sport or recreation. The best place to raise one of these
event ideas is at the club night, during the "formal" meeting.
Details of club nights can be found on the events page. Alternatively
if you are already a member post a message on the club's email list.